Bart Lebbing, the group's chairperson said charcoal-amended soil can improve fertility and help farmers retain water.

"It's a porous material that is introduced into the soil. It's like the home of nutrients, so in Western Australia we've got this issue of low fertility and low water retention and biochar actually can address both, by providing a home to nutrients and micro organisms," Mr Lebbing said.

The use of biochar, also known as terra preta isn't new.

Mr Lebbing said archaeologists in South America have found evidence of layers of charcoal dating back 2,500 years, which is believed to have been introduced into the soil to improve its quality.

The Denmark Biochar group is focused on developing kilns to create the biochar.

Fred Pearce said that simply burning wood, results in ash rather than charcoal. Rather than simply creating a fire, these kilns roast wood which then turns into charcoal.

The charcoal is then crushed and can be mixed through soil.

The application of biochar

Manjimup Middlesex cattle producer and avocado grower Doug Pow is less focused on creating biochar and more focused on the application of biochar for his crops.

Last November Mr Pow planted new avocado trees into soil mixed with Jarrah charcoal and was impressed with the results.

"Avocado tree's growing in the charcoal-amended soil would be about 30 per cent bigger, the leaves are about thirty per cent greener, and the stems are about thirty per cent thicker."

Following a leaf analyst Mr Pow also found that non-charcoal amended avocado trees had 23 per cent more salt or chlorine in the leaf tissue than the charcoal-amended avocado trees.

Mr Pow believes that the charcoal is absorbing the chlorine which is present in the irrigation water, which will inevitably assist the trees yield.

Professor Tim Flannery, chief councillor of the Climate Council, is also a strong advocate of biochar given the environmental benefits of the sequestration of carbon.

"Biochar is one of the growing number of approaches that have the potential to draw carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere at scale," said Professor Flannery.